Close Prisons, Let Prisoners Out. Some Budget Threats Just Never Change

By JAYSON JACOBYOf the Baker City HeraldBaker City’s minimum-security prison could close next spring.The Powder River Correctional Facility, which houses 178 inmates and employs 70 workers, was added Friday to a list of state prisons that might be shut down next spring to balance the state’s budget, Powder River Superintendent Dan Johnson said.…Powder River’s only likely savior is the proposed state income tax increase that voters will decide on in January. But even if voters approve that measure there’s no guarantee Powder River would be spared, Johnson said.If voters reject the tax hike, Powder River probably would close, he said.

The three are the Mill Creek work camp and the Santiam Correctional Institution in Salem, and the Powder River Correction Facility in Baker City, according to budget documents released Wednesday by the governor’s office.

They are among the smaller prisons in Oregon’s system of 14 correctional facilities. All are minimum-security facilities.

With revenue falling short of expectations, Kulongoski has ordered agencies to come up with 9 percent across-the-board cuts.

Kulongoski said he would announce a final cut list by the end of the month.